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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · lie · bay · chip · game · mine · season · fan

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. season — in sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — of the year
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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