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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mine — for digging
  8. land — to come down
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. land — a country
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cold — not warm
  17. land — ground
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. racket — a loud noise

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