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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's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitch — a sports field

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