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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — a match
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. land — to come down
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — to bear
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — to bend
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — a country
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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