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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. land — ground
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — wild animals
  9. craft — a skill
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — rain
  12. firm — steady
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. land — a country
  17. roll — a cake
  18. firm — decided
  19. craft — boats
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. roll — a list
  23. land — to come down
  24. spell — a short time

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