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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — the time now
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. face — to confront
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fine — high quality
  8. present — there
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — a gift
  12. fine — all right
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. drill — the tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a match
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. game — wild animals

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