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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rash — a series
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rash — hasty
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cue — for pool
  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