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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. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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. land — to come down
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cell — in biology
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. track — a path
  18. land — ground
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wake — a trail
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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