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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. land — a country
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — a short time
  8. present — there
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — to come down
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rest — a break
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rock — music
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. present — a gift
  22. rest — what's left
  23. present — the time now
  24. rock — to move gently

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