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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — a group
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. club — for golf
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. degree — temperature
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — from a university
  24. capital — a big letter

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