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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hand — in cards
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — a country
  7. spring — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — the season
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. perch — the fish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — clothes
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — part of the body

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