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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — of water
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — clever
  17. board — to get on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. board — a committee
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spring — the season
  23. land — to come down
  24. rest — a break

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