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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. present — there
  5. rash — a series
  6. cold — an illness
  7. game — a match
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. club — a group
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. club — for dancing
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — a gift
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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