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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. present — there
  4. land — a country
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — of the year
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. deal — to handle
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ground — the earth
  20. season — in sport
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. land — ground
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wake — a trail

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