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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · land · wave · racket · clip · ground · bowl · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — a country
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — a video
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — to come down
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. game — a match
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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