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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. face — part of the head
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. deal — to handle
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — a container
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — the underground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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