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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rest — a break
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — wild animals
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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