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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — a match
  7. board — to get on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — a series
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. board — a committee
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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