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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — after costs
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ground — a position
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. net — in sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  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