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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. root — of a plant
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — the cause
  6. track — a path
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a friend
  10. court — of law
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — a match
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. root — of a word
  17. track — a song
  18. court — for sport
  19. mate — a partner
  20. track — to keep track
  21. board — a committee
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. court — of a king
  24. board — to get on

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