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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. firm — a company
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — a contest
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — the season
  12. game — a match
  13. firm — decided
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — ground
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — the tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. drill — army training
  21. game — wild animals
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — to come down
  24. firm — steady

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