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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. row — to paddle
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. capital — money
  19. row — a line
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bass — the fish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — low music
  24. capital — a city

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