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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tear — from crying
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — ground
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. roll — a cake
  11. club — a group
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — wild animals
  15. club — for golf
  16. lie — to recline
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a ring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. game — a match
  23. land — a country
  24. tear — to rip

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