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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mate — a partner
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. charge — a price
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a match

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