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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. clip — a video
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stand — to bear
  17. scale — in music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. clip — to cut
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bowl — a football final

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