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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. race — a contest
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — humankind
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bore — to drill
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — shares
  17. spring — of water
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — a face
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — the season
  24. mouse — the animal

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