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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — crushed
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ground — a position
  13. land — a country
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — magic
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — help
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bass — low music
  24. land — ground

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