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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · track · wind · ground · club · game · arm · mine

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. game — a kind of play
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. track — a path

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