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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — a match
  13. object — an aim
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — to come down
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. land — a country
  19. object — a thing
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — wild animals

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