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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — the season
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — to come down
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — to get on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — in music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. scale — size or range
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — magic
  24. land — ground

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