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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. suit — clothes
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — the sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. squash — to crush
  10. suit — in cards
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. shower — to wash
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. scale — size or range
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a trace
  22. suit — to fit
  23. patient — a sick person
  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