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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.

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: land · nail · game · season · mine · straw · rush · leaves

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — to come down
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — ground
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. season — of the year
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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