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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. game — a match
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. court — of a king
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of law
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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