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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · straw · rest · land · shower · march · fine · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. march — the month
  6. land — to come down
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. shower — rain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. game — wild animals
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. shower — to wash
  15. land — a country
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rest — what's left
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — all right
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — music

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