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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mark — a grade
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — ground
  11. net — after costs
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ball — a great time
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a trace
  18. lean — thin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — in sport

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