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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — a match
  4. face — to confront
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — the arms race
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — part of the head

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