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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held 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. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. game — a match
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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