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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. club — a group
  3. mug — a cup
  4. club — for golf
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mug — a face
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. file — a tool
  14. root — of a word
  15. file — a line of people
  16. court — of law
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — to rob
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — the tool

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