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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. track — a path
  3. land — to come down
  4. firm — a company
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. land — a country
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. toast — bread
  16. hand — in cards
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pass — a permit
  19. firm — steady
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — of water
  24. leaves — to go away

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