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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. land — a country
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — for a lock
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. season — of the year
  13. ground — crushed
  14. game — a match
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — wild animals
  18. charge — in control
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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