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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. perch — the fish
  3. root — of a word
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — a friend
  9. root — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — money
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mate — a partner
  16. root — the cause
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law
  19. vault — a safe
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. court — for sport
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — for a bird

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