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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — the arms race
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fine — all right
  24. game — wild animals

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