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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. land — ground
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. pop — soda
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. land — a country
  11. roll — a list
  12. suit — to fit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — for paper
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — wild animals
  20. clip — a video
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — to cut

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