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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. suit — in cards
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — shares
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — to go on
  17. stock — goods
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lean — thin
  21. last — final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — a match
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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