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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. land — a country
  3. mate — a partner
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — to come down
  10. pop — soda
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. safe — a strongbox

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