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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — soda
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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