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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a skill
  6. land — to come down
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — a country
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to click
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ground — a position
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pass — a permit
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. land — ground
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — boats

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