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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. object — an aim
  4. land — ground
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. object — a thing
  8. face — to confront
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — in cards
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — to protest
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — help
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. face — part of the head
  20. land — a country
  21. game — a match
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hand — part of the body

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