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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rule — government
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fork — in a road
  11. game — a match
  12. rule — a law
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — child
  20. game — wild animals
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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