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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — magic
  5. current — electric
  6. spell — letters
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — in a race
  11. roll — a cake
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — a list
  14. stock — goods
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. current — happening now
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — a match
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. current — of water
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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