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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — certain
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — to come down
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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