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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rest — what's left
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. firm — steady
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — a position
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fall — the season
  17. rest — a break
  18. suit — to fit
  19. firm — decided
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. firm — a company
  24. suit — clothes

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