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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. root — of a word
  8. spring — of water
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — a committee
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. board — to get on
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a round shape
  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