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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mark — a trace
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — ground
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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