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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — to come down
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — after costs
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — a country
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — for catching
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mate — a partner

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