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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — to come down
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — music
  7. land — a country
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a document
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pit — a hole
  18. present — a gift
  19. swing — in golf
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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