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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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