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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — a song
  3. present — there
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. key — in music
  7. present — a gift
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ground — the earth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. club — for dancing
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. present — the time now
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — a match
  23. club — for golf
  24. track — a path

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