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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — completely
  3. scale — in music
  4. season — of the year
  5. game — wild animals
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — to visit
  15. club — for golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — music
  18. club — a group
  19. roll — a cake
  20. game — a match
  21. scale — size or range
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — a list

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