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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bulb — for light
  7. game — a match
  8. club — a group
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — the sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bulb — for light

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