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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — to breed
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fine — high quality
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — to come down
  15. snap — to click
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — rain
  22. mate — a friend
  23. land — ground
  24. fine — all right

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