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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — army training
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. game — a match
  15. land — a country
  16. net — in sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rest — a break
  22. drill — a practice
  23. land — ground
  24. net — after costs

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