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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. club — for golf
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. game — a match
  5. club — a group
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pass — a permit
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — to sink
  12. club — for dancing
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pop — soda
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. deal — to handle
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pass — to spend time

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