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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 120 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.

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: game · bat · bear · rash · arm · club · face · dip

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — hasty
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. rash — a series
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — a match
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — for golf
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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