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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. track — a song
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pit — in a race
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — a group
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pop — soda
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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