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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. game — a match
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stand — to bear
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. drill — the tool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. roll — a list
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — wild animals

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