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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — ground
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — wild animals
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — electricity
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. charge — in control
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — a cup
  17. swing — music
  18. file — a document
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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