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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — electric
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pop — soda
  12. season — of the year
  13. pop — to visit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ball — a great time
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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