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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for dancing
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — for golf
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spring — a coil
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — the season
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — a signal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. club — a group
  22. rule — government
  23. cue — a hint
  24. foot — a measure

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