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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — a country
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — ground
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — to be able to
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stand — to bear
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. land — to come down
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. present — there

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