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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — happening now
  4. pit — a hole
  5. face — to confront
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. game — wild animals
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — electric
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. game — a match
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. current — of water

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