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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. court — for sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — wild animals
  17. row — a line
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — to eat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. temple — side of the head

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