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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rock — music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. scale — size or range
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rock — a stone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. object — to protest
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — the fish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bound — tied together
  18. club — a group
  19. object — a thing
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bound — certain
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. game — wild animals

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