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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — to come down
  24. kick — in football

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