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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mate — a friend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — ground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. mate — a partner
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — after costs
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. racket — for tennis

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