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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 120 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. track — a path
  5. stand — to bear
  6. present — there
  7. charge — electricity
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — a contest
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. plane — a tool
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. present — the time now
  24. plane — an aircraft

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