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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · season · march · bay · drill · roll · rock · kid

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — wild animals
  4. season — of the year
  5. march — music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — the month
  11. drill — army training
  12. roll — a list
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. roll — a cake
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — a match

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