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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. board — to get on
  10. game — a match
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fork — in a road
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. game — wild animals

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