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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — a country
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — a subject
  12. present — a gift
  13. land — ground
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. club — for dancing
  21. present — there
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cabinet — ministers

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