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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. game — a match
  3. object — to protest
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. land — ground
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — to handle
  9. object — a thing
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. object — an aim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — wild animals
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — high quality

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