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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ground — the earth
  3. object — a thing
  4. track — a path
  5. object — an aim
  6. track — a song
  7. file — a document
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ground — a position
  14. fine — all right
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — a match
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. object — to protest
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. track — to keep track

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