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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — to protest
  9. row — a line
  10. object — a thing
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. charge — in control
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spring — the season
  17. charge — a price
  18. game — a match
  19. spring — of water
  20. game — wild animals
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cell — in biology
  24. object — an aim

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