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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. court — of law
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — help
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — shares
  10. court — for sport
  11. swing — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. hand — in cards
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a match
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — in sport
  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