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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spring — the season
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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