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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. land — ground
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rash — hasty
  11. land — a country
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a match
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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