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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.

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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.

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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: key · leaves · game · cabinet · land · rash · race · hand

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rash — a series
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — a country
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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