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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mug — to rob
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — letters
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. spell — magic
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — ground
  24. prune — the fruit

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