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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — wild animals
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. object — a thing
  7. scale — in music
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — soda
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — to visit
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — music
  20. roll — a list
  21. land — a country
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — to come down
  24. mine — an explosive

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