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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spell — letters
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mate — to breed
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — magic
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pit — a hole
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — a friend

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