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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — a match
  6. charge — in control
  7. present — there
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — electricity
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — wild animals
  21. charge — a price
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — help

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