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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — there
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — a match
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chip — for betting
  15. present — the time now
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bound — certain
  22. roll — a list
  23. chip — in a computer
  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