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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rule — government
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rule — a law
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. content — the amount
  16. game — a match
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — a trail

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