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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mate — a friend
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. game — a match
  8. land — to come down
  9. march — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cell — a phone
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — ground
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — the month

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