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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — a song
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — child
  10. field — for sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fine — all right
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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