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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. capital — a city
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bore — to tire
  14. craft — boats
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rock — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — money
  24. pass — to succeed

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