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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. root — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wake — a trail
  8. staff — employees
  9. court — of law
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of a king
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — of a word
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — in golf
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — wild animals
  23. staff — a stick
  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