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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. scale — size or range
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — army training
  9. game — a match
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fork — in a road
  16. capital — money
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — wild animals

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