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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hand — in cards
  3. suit — in cards
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. suit — to fit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. race — humankind
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. game — a match
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — the season
  17. race — the arms race
  18. land — to come down
  19. suit — clothes
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to click
  24. land — a country

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