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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bank — for money
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — ground
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — for digging
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — of a river
  13. snap — to click
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mate — a partner

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