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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a line of people
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rest — a break
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — wild animals
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. craft — a skill
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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