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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bore — to drill
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — of the year
  23. bore — to tire
  24. kid — child

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