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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. season — of the year
  10. ball — a great time
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. game — a match
  13. last — to go on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — finally
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a dance
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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