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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pop — to visit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — a stone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pop — soda
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — rain
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rock — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. board — a committee
  24. pop — music

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