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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to click
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. staff — employees
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. staff — employees
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. dip — to sink
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. scale — in music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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