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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ground — a position
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — to come down
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rash — a series
  23. ground — crushed
  24. scale — for weighing

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