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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a dance
  20. dip — to sink
  21. net — in sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. kid — child
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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