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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. squash — the sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — in sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. squash — to crush
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. hand — in cards
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a match
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — help

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