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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. game — wild animals
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — low music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bass — the fish
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. jam — a tight spot

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