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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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 — a match
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — wild animals
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — steady
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — in biology
  16. craft — boats
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. firm — decided

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