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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — a permit
  8. band — a music group
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. staff — a stick
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. staff — employees
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — employees
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. toast — bread

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