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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ball — a dance
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rock — music

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