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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. march — the month
  5. land — a country
  6. current — electric
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — a grade
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mine — for digging
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mark — a trace
  24. plane — a tool

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