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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — all right
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mug — a cup
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — size or range
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — to rob
  12. staff — a stick
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a music group
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. band — a ring
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. swing — to play on
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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