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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rock — music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. lean — thin
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cue — for pool
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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