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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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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stand — to bear
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. land — ground
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. clip — for paper

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