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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — army training
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — the animal
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — in control
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. charge — a price
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — a position
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — wild animals
  22. march — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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