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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — the earth
  3. land — a country
  4. swing — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. last — final
  8. swing — in golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tube — a container
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. tube — the underground
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ball — a dance
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. tube — in a tire

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