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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — rain
  6. pop — soda
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. foot — a measure
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pop — music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cell — in biology
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — a safe

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