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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · squash · game · pitcher · rash · mine · bulb · rule

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rule — a law

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