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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mug — a cup
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — a country
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — the season
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — ground
  22. mug — a face
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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