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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — ground
  4. mine — for digging
  5. track — a song
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. present — a gift
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — to come down
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mate — a friend
  17. present — there
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. present — the time now
  24. mine — belonging to me

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