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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — a country
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — ground
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lie — to recline
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — in sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. kid — child

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