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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · lie · march · game · object · leaves · land · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — a series
  4. object — an aim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — a country
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. march — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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