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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. land — ground
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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