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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wake — a trail
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — a match
  16. current — happening now
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. swing — music
  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