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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — a company
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chip — to eat
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. firm — steady
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. snap — to click
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. chip — in a computer

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