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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. club — for golf
  4. object — an aim
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a document
  8. object — a thing
  9. fine — all right
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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