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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. ground — the earth
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — a box
  11. roll — a list
  12. chest — of your body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pop — soda
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — a position
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — of a king
  20. game — a match
  21. can — to be able to
  22. roll — a cake
  23. ground — crushed
  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