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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — shares
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rule — government
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rule — a law
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. face — to confront
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — a match
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. face — to point toward
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pass — a permit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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