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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. hide — animal skin
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a partner
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. current — electric
  9. mate — to breed
  10. current — happening now
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rule — a law
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — government
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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