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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cue — a signal
  14. game — a match
  15. snap — to click
  16. club — a group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cue — a hint
  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