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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — clever
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. row — a line
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — to come down
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. staff — a stick
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. toast — bread
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. land — ground
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. kid — child
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rush — a thrill

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