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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. land — ground
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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