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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. charge — in control
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mine — for digging
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — a tin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. charge — a price
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. game — a match
  16. root — of a word
  17. can — to be able to
  18. game — wild animals
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. charge — electricity
  24. root — the cause

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