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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pit — a hole
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — for digging
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pit — in a race

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