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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 116 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 the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bore — to drill
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — a break
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bass — low music

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