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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — a country
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bound — certain
  5. land — ground
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. charge — in control
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. land — to come down
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mug — a face
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bound — obliged
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — a price
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — electricity
  24. perch — the fish

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