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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rule — a law
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mug — a cup
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spring — of water
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — government
  23. bear — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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