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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — certain
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. court — for sport
  14. mug — to rob
  15. court — of a king
  16. mug — a face
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bound — tied together
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ball — a great time

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