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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — a position
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. roll — a list
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. game — a match
  11. ground — the earth
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — crushed
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spell — letters

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