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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lean — thin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mate — to breed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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