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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. key — in music
  10. charge — in control
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — an illness
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rash — a series
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cold — not warm
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cold — the Cold War

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