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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. last — to go on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. degree — an amount
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — finally
  14. season — of the year
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — final
  24. season — in sport

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