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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. land — ground
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. track — a path
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pop — to visit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pop — soda
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. track — a song
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. temple — a place of worship

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