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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — a country
  24. spring — the season

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