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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. charge — in control
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. suit — to fit
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — soda
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cold — an illness
  16. game — wild animals
  17. suit — clothes
  18. game — a match
  19. plane — a tool
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pop — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pop — to visit

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