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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — a match
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. craft — boats

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