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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 120 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — money
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ball — a great time
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — a city
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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