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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — ground
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. last — final
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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