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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rest — a break
  4. rock — music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — all right
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fine — a penalty

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