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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. game — a match
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — a country
  15. charge — in control
  16. land — ground
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. key — in music
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. charge — a price
  24. key — the most important part

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