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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — rain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mine — for digging
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rock — music
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kick — in football
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kick — with a leg

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