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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. land — to come down
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — a face
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — hasty
  21. land — ground
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — a country

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