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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a match
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spring — of water
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chest — a box
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — to go on

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