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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fine — high quality
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chest — a box
  15. chip — to eat
  16. club — for golf
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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