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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rash — a series
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cap — a hat
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cell — in a prison

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