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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — to come down
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. perch — the fish
  20. net — after costs
  21. stand — to bear
  22. plane — a tool
  23. land — ground
  24. can — a tin

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