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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. swing — to play on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. craft — boats
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. swing — in golf
  15. field — farmland
  16. swing — music
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a match

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