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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — a group
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. degree — from a university
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a list
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. present — there
  17. roll — a cake
  18. club — for dancing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pass — a permit
  22. present — a gift
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. degree — an amount

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