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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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 — a country
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. land — ground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — help
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  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.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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