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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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. swing — music
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. land — a country
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ball — a dance
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — to play on

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