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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — to bear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a match
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mate — a friend
  14. ball — a great time
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ball — a dance
  24. object — to protest

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