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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. land — a country
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — help
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. land — to come down
  16. object — an aim
  17. row — to paddle
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — to protest

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