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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  3. can — to be able to
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — to eat
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tube — the underground
  10. can — a tin
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. game — wild animals
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — a match
  19. spring — of water
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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