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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — a position
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cue — for pool
  7. land — to come down
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a match
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rash — a series
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — a country
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — crushed
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a ring

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