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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 124 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pop — to visit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pop — soda
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pop — music
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — a country
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — to come down
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — of a plant

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