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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — a permit
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. vault — a safe
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hand — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. present — there
  13. game — wild animals
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — help
  18. game — a match
  19. suit — in cards
  20. present — the time now
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. march — music
  24. present — a gift

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