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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: cold · object · land · game · scale · mate · stand · ground

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. object — a thing
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — a country
  9. object — to protest
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mate — to breed
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — a match
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. land — ground

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