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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — a country
  8. mate — a partner
  9. march — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. march — the month
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — crushed

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