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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tube — a container
  7. pop — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — in football
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pit — in a race
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pop — soda

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