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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. court — of law
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. ground — the earth
  6. current — happening now
  7. bass — the fish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. current — of water
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of a king
  14. fine — all right
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — music
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — for sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a match

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