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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. charge — in control
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a path
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — electricity
  17. march — the month
  18. track — to keep track
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — a price
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — music
  24. track — a song

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