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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — a country
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — in music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mark — a grade
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mine — for digging
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mine — an explosive

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