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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. foot — a measure
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spell — a short time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. root — of a word
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fine — high quality
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — to come down
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — the cause
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — all right

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