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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — ground
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — for money
  7. land — a country
  8. tube — the underground
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — a match
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. land — to come down
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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