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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. land — a country
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. toast — bread
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. land — to come down
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — letters
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. land — ground
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — a trainer
  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