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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — electric
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — happening now
  12. tube — a container
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — the fish
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — what's left

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