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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. capital — money
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. firm — decided
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — to come down
  24. mouse — for a computer

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