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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — an aim
  4. club — a group
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. object — to protest
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — a match
  15. land — ground
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitch — completely
  18. club — for golf
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — to come down
  23. content — the amount
  24. object — a thing

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