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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — a group
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kid — child
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — for golf

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