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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mate — a partner
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mate — to breed
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — crushed
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — ground
  14. ground — the earth
  15. land — to come down
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bass — low music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. hand — help
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ground — a position

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