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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bank — for money
  5. cue — a signal
  6. march — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — to paddle
  18. game — a match
  19. cue — for pool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. row — a line
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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