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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. roll — a list
  13. mug — a face
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. game — a match
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mug — to rob
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — a cup
  24. race — humankind

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