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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. clip — a video
  7. last — finally
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — an aim
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. net — for catching
  13. object — a thing
  14. clip — to cut
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a match
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — to protest

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