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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. land — a country
  4. charge — in control
  5. cell — a phone
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cell — in biology
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitch — completely
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitch — a sports field

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