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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rule — government
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — after costs
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — a match
  18. trunk — of a tree

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