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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — government
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — a container
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rule — a law
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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