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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — a song
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. suit — clothes
  7. row — to paddle
  8. drill — army training
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mate — a friend
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — a country
  16. wind — moving air
  17. suit — in cards
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mate — a partner
  21. land — to come down
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — a phone
  24. suit — to fit

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