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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. land — to come down
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hand — in cards
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — a match
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — ground
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pass — a permit

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