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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — a song
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ground — the earth
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a hat
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cap — a lid
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — low music
  24. kick — a thrill

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