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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. land — a country
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. land — ground
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pop — to visit

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