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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 124 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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. squash — to crush
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — a subject
  8. present — there
  9. tube — a container
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — for sport
  14. present — the time now
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — a gift
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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