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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. saw — the tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — all right
  5. march — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. content — the amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — wild animals
  18. club — a group
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to bend
  24. march — the month

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