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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cap — of ice
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cap — a lid

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