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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rule — a law
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rule — government
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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