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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. mine — for digging
  5. land — ground
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. club — for golf
  19. tube — a container
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. net — in sport

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