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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — a match
  6. object — an aim
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rule — a law
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — to protest
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rule — government
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — belonging to me

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