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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — a country
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. game — a match
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — a series
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — to come down
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. object — a thing
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bat — in an idiom

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