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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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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: last · fan · game · mug · hand · land · hide · bowl

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — finally
  4. land — a country
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. land — to come down
  7. last — final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. land — ground
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. game — a match
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — a face

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