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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — in sport
  4. swing — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — low music
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — after costs
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bass — the fish
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — a path
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mate — a friend
  24. swing — in golf

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