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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. land — ground
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. swing — music
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. swing — in golf
  8. drill — army training
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. land — to come down
  14. bank — of a river
  15. drill — a practice
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bank — for money
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — of a tree

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