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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — a friend
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — to come down
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. game — a match
  12. bound — tied together
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — certain
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bore — gave birth

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