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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — for sport
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cap — of ice
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. court — of law
  13. bound — tied together
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — wild animals
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bound — certain
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — a hole
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — in a race

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