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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of law
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. game — a match
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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