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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bass — low music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — the month
  12. cue — for pool
  13. march — music
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. march — the month
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to click
  23. net — after costs
  24. pit — in a race

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