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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ground — a position
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. game — a match
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — crushed
  13. current — electric
  14. pass — a permit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. row — a line
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stock — shares
  21. hand — help
  22. current — of water
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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