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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. game — a match
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — tied together
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. root — the cause
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. squash — the sport
  24. can — a tin

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