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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — low music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. prune — to trim
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mate — a friend

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