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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — a group
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for golf
  13. stock — goods
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — a match

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