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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — farmland
  14. kick — in football
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. charge — in control
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a ring
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. game — a match

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