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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. last — to go on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — a country
  14. bound — tied together
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — final
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. suit — clothes
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — a trainer

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