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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — to come down
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cell — in biology
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — ground
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a path
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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