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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.

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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: scale · hand · rush · land · season · rock · mug · game

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — in sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hand — help
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — ground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. land — to come down
  24. mug — a face

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