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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.

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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. land — to come down
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — a stone
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — a country
  18. rock — music

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