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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. club — a group
  8. chair — a leader
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a match
  12. net — for catching
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — for betting
  16. net — in sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. net — after costs

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