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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. toast — bread
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — the tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fork — in a road
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a ring
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. club — for dancing
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. club — a group
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. game — a match
  24. capital — a big letter

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