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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — a law
  3. scale — size or range
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. charge — a price
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — a hole
  13. last — final
  14. rule — government
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. charge — in control
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — electricity
  21. game — wild animals
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. scale — in music
  24. last — finally

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