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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.

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: racket · stick · mine · squash · land · game · spring · pop

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. game — a match
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. land — to come down
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. land — ground
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pop — soda
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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