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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hand — in cards
  8. root — of a word
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. game — wild animals
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rest — a break
  19. snap — to click
  20. root — the cause
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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