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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — to get on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. board — a committee
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — happy
  24. fine — all right

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