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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: hand · charge · object · rest · root · ground · game · arm

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a word
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. rest — what's left
  8. charge — in control
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. object — an aim
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — what's left
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — a break
  16. object — to protest
  17. game — wild animals
  18. object — a thing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ground — crushed
  21. charge — a price
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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