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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. key — for a lock
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. charge — a price
  5. key — the most important part
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. key — in music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — in control
  16. branch — a division
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. field — a subject
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  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