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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. bat — the animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. bank — for money
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bank — for money
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. field — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bank — of a river
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — farmland
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lie — an untruth

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