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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bark — to shout
  7. swing — music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. land — a country
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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