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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bass — low music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. scale — size or range

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