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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mine — for digging
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — to recline
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  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