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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. content — happy
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. game — wild animals
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — the amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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