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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. race — humankind
  5. game — a match
  6. spell — a short time
  7. object — an aim
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. race — a contest
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spell — magic
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — for betting
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. race — the arms race
  24. spell — letters

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