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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — goods
  3. last — finally
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spell — magic
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — a match
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spell — a short time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stock — shares
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — letters

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