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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. club — a group
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. club — for golf
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — a match
  15. land — ground
  16. date — the fruit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — a country
  20. club — for dancing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. race — humankind
  23. land — to come down
  24. squash — the vegetable

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