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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 124 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — child
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. spring — of water
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — the season
  12. spell — magic
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. firm — decided
  18. spell — a short time
  19. charge — a price
  20. firm — a company
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — steady
  24. spell — letters

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