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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — of water
  3. bound — tied together
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bound — certain
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fine — all right
  8. bound — obliged
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — a subject
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — wild animals

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