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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — in sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. game — a match
  23. season — of the year
  24. spell — letters

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