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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ground — a position
  5. mate — a partner
  6. net — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — crushed
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. land — a country
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — ground

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