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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a partner
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. foot — a measure
  12. race — a contest
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — soda
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — to be able to
  19. race — the arms race
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chair — a leader
  23. land — a country
  24. bank — of a river

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