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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. land — ground
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. key — in music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — to come down
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bowl — to roll
  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