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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. charge — a price
  8. rule — a law
  9. game — a match
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rest — what's left
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. charge — in control
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rule — government
  24. charge — electricity

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