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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. date — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rock — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. degree — from a university

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