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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — a match
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a face
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. club — a group
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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