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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. roll — a list
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. roll — a cake
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bulb — for light
  22. key — in music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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