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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. staff — a stick
  3. roll — a list
  4. land — a country
  5. fall — the season
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — wild animals
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ruler — for measuring

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