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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — letters
  3. game — wild animals
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — to crush
  21. craft — a skill
  22. roll — a list
  23. craft — boats
  24. spell — magic

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