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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — in music
  5. land — a country
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — low music
  14. land — ground
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cell — a phone
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. land — to come down

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