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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. game — a match
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — all right
  11. season — of the year
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fine — high quality
  19. season — in sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rush — hurry

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