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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — in sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — rain
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cue — a hint
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. lie — an untruth

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