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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. last — final
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — a match
  13. last — to go on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. last — finally
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fine — all right
  24. season — of the year

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