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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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. last — to go on
  4. spring — of water
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. swing — music
  8. pop — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a match
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. firm — a company
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spring — the season
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — in golf
  23. last — final
  24. swing — to play on

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