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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a dance
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mark — a trace
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — a match
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mark — a grade
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a line of people
  21. foot — a measure
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rock — music

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