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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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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: track · ball · rush · pit · bulb · hand · face · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. track — to keep track
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — hurry
  5. track — a path
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. track — a song
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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