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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a song
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spell — magic
  12. track — a path
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — to keep track
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. land — to come down
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a match

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