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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — to paddle
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. object — to protest
  10. capital — money
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a line
  13. land — a country
  14. capital — a city
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. object — a thing
  17. land — to come down
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. object — an aim
  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