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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — employees
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — a series
  12. game — a match
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — the animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. tube — a container
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. game — wild animals

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