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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. present — a gift
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — wild animals
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. race — a contest
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bulb — for light
  15. present — there
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. present — the time now
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. game — a match
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for 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