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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — a list
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — the season
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — a series
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — to breed
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. game — a match
  23. mate — a friend
  24. field — farmland

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