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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — ground
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — a match
  12. object — a thing
  13. rock — music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. race — a contest
  22. march — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — to come down

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