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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rock · game · date · cold · mouse · key · roll · racket

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rock — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — not warm
  10. game — a match
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — a list
  14. rock — a stone
  15. roll — a cake
  16. key — for a lock
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. key — in music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — the animal

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