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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: chair · arm · game · calf · club · spring · fall · key

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — a coil
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chair — a leader
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. game — a match
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. club — a group
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. club — for golf
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — to sit on

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