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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a match
  12. spell — letters
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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