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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mug — a face
  6. club — for dancing
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. scale — size or range
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — in music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — a cup
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. club — for golf
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com