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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — magic
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a match
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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