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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mark — a trace
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. toast — bread
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitch — completely
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — temperature
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — a match

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