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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · game · hand · bay · staff · ground · land · object

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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 — in cards
  2. object — to protest
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — ground
  7. object — a thing
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. land — to come down
  14. hand — help
  15. kick — in football
  16. land — a country
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — crushed
  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