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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. land — a country
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wind — moving air
  13. land — to come down
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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