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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — a container
  13. spring — a coil
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spring — of water
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. game — a match
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitch — completely

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