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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — there
  12. game — a match
  13. present — the time now
  14. lie — to recline
  15. squash — the sport
  16. roll — a list
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. present — a gift
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — to crush

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