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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — wild animals
  4. content — the amount
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a match
  7. craft — a skill
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. craft — boats
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — a series
  12. content — happy
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — bread

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