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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. net — after costs
  10. race — a contest
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. net — in sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — a match
  15. race — the arms race
  16. net — for catching
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — humankind
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rock — a stone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rock — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — to move gently

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