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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — decided
  3. row — to paddle
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a list
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — the month
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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