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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — to go on
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. land — a country
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — final

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