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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — a country
  4. row — a line
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. land — to come down
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — ground

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