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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. game — wild animals
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a word
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. root — the cause
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mine — for digging

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