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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. perch — the fish
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — a container
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a match
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — a signal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cue — a hint

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