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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a match
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — wild animals
  14. last — final
  15. net — for catching
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — finally

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