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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. can — a tin
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ball — a great time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — to be able to
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. row — to paddle
  21. land — a country
  22. can — a tin
  23. fine — all right
  24. mine — belonging to me

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