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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chest — a box
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — in control
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cue — a signal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — shares
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cue — for pool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a match
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hand — help
  24. stock — a soup base

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