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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tear — from crying
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tear — to rip
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — farmland
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rock — music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — all right

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