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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — for paper
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. land — a country
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. clip — a video
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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