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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ground — a position
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — a lid
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cap — of ice
  23. racket — for tennis
  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