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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. suit — to fit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — clothes
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — of water
  9. rule — a law
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. suit — in cards
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — magic
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rule — government
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — happening now

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