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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. toast — bread
  9. cue — for pool
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. scale — in music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spring — of water
  19. game — a match
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cue — a signal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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