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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. present — there
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — happy
  10. present — the time now
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — the amount
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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