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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for dancing
  5. scale — in music
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — for sport
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. field — a subject
  11. club — for golf
  12. present — the time now
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — there
  16. field — farmland
  17. land — ground
  18. club — a group

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