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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. board — a committee
  9. roll — a list
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. land — to come down
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. season — in sport

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