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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — ground
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bank — of a river
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — farmland

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