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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. season — of the year
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — in cards
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — help
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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