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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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 rubber band
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. game — a match
  6. tear — to rip
  7. band — a music group
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fine — all right
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fine — high quality
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — boats
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a handicraft

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