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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — ground
  17. hand — help
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — a jug

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