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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bound — obliged
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rash — a series
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — a container
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tube — in a tire

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