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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — electric
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a document
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wind — moving air

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