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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — a break
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — farmland
  8. band — a music group
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — for sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a ring

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