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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — a match
  19. court — of law
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — certain

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