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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — music
  11. bass — low music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. march — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kick — in football
  19. game — wild animals
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — gave birth

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