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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ground — a position
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. game — a match
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rash — a series
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mine — for digging

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