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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. game — a match
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a ring
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a music group

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