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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. hand — help
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — the most important part
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kick — in football
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rock — a stone
  15. key — in music
  16. land — ground
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — music
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kick — a thrill

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