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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — a gift
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — a phone
  10. game — a match
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — thin
  15. current — happening now
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lean — to bend
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — wild animals

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