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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spell — letters
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spell — a short time
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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