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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — for catching
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. net — after costs
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — in sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — money
  14. pit — in a race
  15. land — to come down
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ball — a great time
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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