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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ground — the earth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. court — for sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — a position
  7. current — happening now
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. current — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. current — electric
  13. court — of a king
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mark — a trace
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. hand — help
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. calf — of the leg

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