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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. board — a committee
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a face
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. scale — in music
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — a country

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