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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — a path
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. toast — bread
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — thin
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — a song
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lean — to bend
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. track — to keep track
  18. net — after costs
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. net — in sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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