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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. season — in sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. kid — child
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. key — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fork — in a road
  22. key — the most important part
  23. game — a match
  24. season — of the year

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