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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — a match
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. last — to go on
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. last — finally
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. land — ground
  23. last — final
  24. march — the month

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