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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  3. spring — the season
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. capital — money
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — of water
  20. saw — the tool
  21. charge — in control
  22. snap — to click
  23. charge — a price
  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