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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — a country
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — ground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — to come down
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. season — of the year

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