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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. scale — size or range
  4. game — a match
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. land — to come down
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — a company
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — ground
  24. firm — steady

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