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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. perch — the fish
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bear — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — to rob

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