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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. club — a group
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bass — the fish
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — a hint
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rest — what's left

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