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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · mine · club · bass · fine · dip · cap · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. staff — a stick
  3. club — for golf
  4. cap — a hat
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. staff — employees
  8. fine — all right
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a match
  11. club — a group
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — for digging
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bass — low music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — a lid
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fine — high quality

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