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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. land — to come down
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. root — of a word
  15. bulb — for light
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — the cause
  24. land — a country

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