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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rash — a series
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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