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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — to bear
  3. present — there
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — a break
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. root — the cause
  9. kid — to tease
  10. land — a country
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. present — a gift
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. band — a music group

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