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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hand — help
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pass — a permit

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