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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spring — of water
  6. land — ground
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mark — a trace
  10. land — to come down
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. bass — low music
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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