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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — magic
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — a price
  10. track — to keep track
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a ring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a match
  15. spell — a short time
  16. charge — in control
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — to play on
  20. track — a path
  21. band — a music group
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a song

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