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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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 — a loud noise
  3. track — a song
  4. game — wild animals
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. present — there
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a trace
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. present — the time now
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a grade
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — a gift
  21. track — a path
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. prune — to trim

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