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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: pop · club · suit · spell · mug · field · can · game

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — a subject
  5. pop — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. pop — soda
  8. game — a match
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — a short time
  12. field — for sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. suit — in cards
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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