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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. firm — steady
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. race — humankind
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a dance
  16. firm — decided
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pop — to visit
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pop — soda
  24. land — to come down

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