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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. band — a ring
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — a trail
  11. squash — the sport
  12. current — of water
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cold — an illness
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. current — electric
  18. content — happy
  19. current — happening now
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. game — a match
  23. content — the amount
  24. wake — before a funeral

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