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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. net — after costs
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — clever
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. drill — army training
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitch — completely
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. game — wild animals

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