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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. scale — size or range
  8. band — a music group
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — a match
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — wild animals
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. scale — in music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — clever

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