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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. land — a country
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. root — of a word
  6. land — ground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — to come down
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lie — an untruth

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