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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — ground
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — the time now
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — there
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — in sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — a trail

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