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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. can — a tin
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — farmland
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a match
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. can — to be able to
  24. staff — employees

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