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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — obliged
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. current — of water
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. game — a match
  14. current — happening now
  15. rash — a series
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bound — certain
  19. current — electric
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — a city
  24. calf — a young animal

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