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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — ground
  3. hand — help
  4. land — a country
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bass — low music
  8. rock — music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — a position
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ground — crushed
  14. drill — army training
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — to come down

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