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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pit — a hole
  4. tear — from crying
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — electric
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — wild animals
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. squash — to crush
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — obliged
  24. game — a match

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