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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ground — crushed
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — electricity
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ground — a position
  13. dip — to sink
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. land — to come down
  17. degree — from a university
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — the earth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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