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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. spring — of water
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — a position
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — a match
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for golf
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — a group

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