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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. swing — music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mine — for digging
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — in golf
  19. last — final
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. swing — to play on
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — finally

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