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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. object — to protest
  5. pop — soda
  6. object — an aim
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — for catching
  10. craft — a skill
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a match
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. object — a thing
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — boats
  20. pop — music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — in sport

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