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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cell — a phone
  4. land — to come down
  5. pop — music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — ground
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. charge — in control
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. charge — a price
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rash — a series
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rash — hasty

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