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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — for catching
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — magic
  6. hand — help
  7. game — a match
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. mug — a cup
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — in cards
  16. net — after costs
  17. mug — a face
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kick — in football
  23. net — in sport
  24. row — a line

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