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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. hand — help
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ground — crushed
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. land — to come down
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cell — in biology
  18. game — a match
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — ground
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. scale — size or range
  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