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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — an aim
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — a coil
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — of ice
  11. march — music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spring — of water
  14. object — a thing
  15. suit — in cards
  16. spell — a short time
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — hasty
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. march — the month

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