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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — a contest
  10. court — of law
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — humankind
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. swing — in golf
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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