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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — a line
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — a container
  5. mug — a cup
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mug — a face
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitch — completely
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — a group
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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