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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — a country
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — a partner
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. band — a ring
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — to come down

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