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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. capital — a city
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — to eat
  15. staff — employees
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — a match
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — employees

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