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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a match
  8. kid — to tease
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spell — letters
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spell — a short time
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. kid — child

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