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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. spell — magic
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. land — to come down
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — a country
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — ground
  24. can — to be able to

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