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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — obliged
  11. snap — to click
  12. chip — to eat
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a match
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hide — animal skin

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