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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to 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. charge — a price
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. charge — in control
  5. cell — a phone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. game — a match
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cell — in biology
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — rain
  23. game — wild animals
  24. patient — a sick person

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