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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.

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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: straw · wave · game · mouse · pit · land · club · mate

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. club — for dancing
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mate — a friend
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for golf
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. club — a group
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mouse — for a computer

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