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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. shower — rain
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. court — of law
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. net — for catching

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