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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — a match
  4. land — to come down
  5. bound — tied together
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. land — ground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bank — of a river
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — certain
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — obliged

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