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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mug — a cup
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mug — to rob
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. mug — a face
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. sharp — with an edge

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