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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. season — in sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. track — a path
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — in a race
  13. game — wild animals
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — of the year
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. track — a song
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — a series
  22. track — to keep track
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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