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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — the fruit
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. march — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pop — to visit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitch — completely

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