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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fork — in a road
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a match
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. swing — music
  20. bass — low music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. vault — a safe
  24. swing — in golf

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