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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — a song
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. track — a path
  17. fine — all right
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — a trainer

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