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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rash — on the skin

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