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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — shares
  9. bore — to tire
  10. key — in music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stock — goods
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stock — a soup base

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