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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to confront
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rule — a law
  19. face — part of the head
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — a match

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