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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — a country
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — to come down
  14. rest — a break
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — boats
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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