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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. dip — to sink
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. plane — a tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — to crush
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — money
  24. squash — the sport

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