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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mug — a face
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — decided
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. suit — in cards
  8. last — final
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — a phone
  12. suit — to fit
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — to go on
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — letters
  20. cell — in biology
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — finally
  23. game — a match
  24. suit — clothes

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