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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rock — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rock — a stone
  21. game — a match
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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