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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ground — crushed
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — ground
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bat — the animal

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