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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 116 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rock — music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — ground

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