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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. suit — clothes
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. suit — in cards
  9. last — finally
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. game — a match
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. suit — to fit
  18. land — to come down
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — ground
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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