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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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 — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — magic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — army training
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spell — a short time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — a match
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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