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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to point toward
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tube — a container
  8. cue — a signal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a hint
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cue — for pool

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