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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — the fish
  4. branch — a division
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. shower — to wash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — a hole
  17. prune — to trim
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a match
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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