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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — to rip
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. season — of the year
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pit — a hole
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. dip — to sink

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