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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. capital — a city
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rush — hurry
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lean — thin
  15. content — the amount
  16. fall — the season
  17. capital — money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fan — to cool the air

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