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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — a hint
  3. season — of the year
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — in sport
  7. cue — a signal
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. game — a match
  10. cue — for pool
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — wild animals
  14. face — to confront
  15. mug — a face
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. present — a gift
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. ground — the earth

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