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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — wild animals
  6. date — the fruit
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. game — a match
  11. race — a contest
  12. cue — a hint
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. race — humankind
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cue — for pool
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. mate — a partner

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