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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. charge — electricity
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — a coil
  13. charge — in control
  14. scale — size or range
  15. game — a match
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pop — soda
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. charge — a price
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. board — to get on
  24. pop — music

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