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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. content — happy
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. game — a match
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — a break
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — the amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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