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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — a country
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — music
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a dance
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — to come down
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pop — to visit
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — ground
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. nail — for a hammer

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