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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — a match
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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