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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — decided
  3. fall — the season
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. firm — steady
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — a company
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. band — a music group

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