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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — final
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — a match
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lean — thin
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. game — wild animals
  17. present — the time now
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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