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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — to recline
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — a match
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — a thing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a music group
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cabinet — ministers

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