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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — a price
  3. firm — a company
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. firm — steady
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bank — of a river
  10. land — a country
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. firm — decided
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — a measure
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — electricity
  23. game — a match
  24. charge — in control

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