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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a match
  9. cold — an illness
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. race — the arms race
  14. key — in music
  15. rock — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hand — help
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fine — all right
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — a contest
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bowl — a dish

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