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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — ground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — a committee
  7. cell — a phone
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — a trail
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — to get on
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. land — a country
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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