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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — a grade
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — the amount
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. land — to come down

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