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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. game — a match
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — the cause
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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