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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. swing — to play on
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — an illness
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. game — wild animals
  18. court — for sport
  19. game — a match
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bass — low music
  24. can — a tin

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