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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lie — to recline
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tube — the underground
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. game — a match
  21. tube — a container
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. squash — to crush

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