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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — low music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — a signal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — a match
  14. present — there
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cue — a hint
  17. present — a gift
  18. ground — a position
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — in football
  23. present — the time now
  24. perch — for a bird

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