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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. date — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. drill — army training
  9. row — to paddle
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — to keep track
  12. staff — employees
  13. track — a song
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — a path
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. game — wild animals
  24. row — a line

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