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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. capital — money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — a city
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a match
  19. race — the arms race
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — a sauce
  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