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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. last — finally
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. march — the month
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bass — low music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. march — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. toast — bread
  23. march — the month
  24. last — final

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