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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — a trail
  7. club — for dancing
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. club — for golf
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — a group
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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