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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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 — a permit
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — a break
  17. mark — a grade
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. content — happy
  24. game — a match

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