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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — ground
  6. pit — a hole
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. season — of the year
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bass — low music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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