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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. spell — magic
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. game — wild animals
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — a match
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — government
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — a break
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  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