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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. club — for golf
  3. game — a match
  4. bank — for money
  5. cell — in biology
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. game — wild animals
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — a group
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — a phone
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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