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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. land — a country
  4. key — the most important part
  5. present — a gift
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tube — the underground
  13. suit — clothes
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — to come down
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — a container
  20. present — there
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — in music
  24. bore — to tire

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