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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — to come down
  4. lean — to bend
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lean — to rest against

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