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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — a match
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — for money
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — a series
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — the month
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bank — for money

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