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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. clip — a video
  5. spring — the season
  6. foot — a measure
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spring — a coil
  9. clip — for paper
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. suit — to fit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ground — a position
  21. suit — clothes
  22. land — a country
  23. bulb — for light
  24. foot — the bottom

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