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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — a country
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. perch — the fish
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — in music
  8. land — to come down
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — a leader
  14. key — the most important part
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pop — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. pop — to visit

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