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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — to confront
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. content — happy
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rest — what's left
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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