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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. court — for sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. land — to come down
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. land — ground
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. hide — to keep secret

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