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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. track — a path
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. track — a song
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. charge — a price
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — in control
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a match
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of a king
  22. game — wild animals
  23. court — of law
  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