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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — magic
  21. land — ground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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