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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. land — ground
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — army training
  5. land — a country
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — to come down
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mate — a partner
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — a practice
  23. row — a line
  24. leaves — lets stay

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