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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — in football
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tube — a container
  6. object — to protest
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cell — in biology
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cell — a phone

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