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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — a country
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. present — the time now
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. present — there
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. charge — a price
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mate — to breed
  24. present — a gift

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