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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rest — a break
  3. row — a line
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — a gift
  9. row — to paddle
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. stock — goods
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — wild animals
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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