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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pop — soda
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — a subject
  13. track — to keep track
  14. charge — in control
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mug — to rob
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pop — to visit
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. mug — a cup
  23. game — a match
  24. mug — a face

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