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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.

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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. charge — in control
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — a series
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals

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