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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — to come down
  4. cell — in biology
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — ground
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cell — a phone
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mate — a friend
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. 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