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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — the season
  7. charge — electricity
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — steady
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. charge — in control
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — to come down
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. charge — a price
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. mine — for digging
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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