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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: game · rest · root · pass · kid · club · fan · net

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — child
  13. root — of a word
  14. game — a match
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. root — the cause
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. net — for catching

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