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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — a match
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. race — a contest
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ball — a great time
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rest — a break
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. race — humankind

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