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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chip — to eat

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