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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — a country
  6. game — a match
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. shower — rain
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. craft — boats
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — a skill
  16. land — ground
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rash — hasty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — in sport

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