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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — ground
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. land — a country
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lean — to rest against

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