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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ball — a great time
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. current — electric
  18. game — a match
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ball — a round shape

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