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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. land — a country
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. board — a committee
  11. object — an aim
  12. current — electric
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bear — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. object — a thing
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — of water
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bear — to put up with

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