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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — ground
  7. band — a music group
  8. present — there
  9. land — a country
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. present — a gift
  13. mate — a partner
  14. present — the time now
  15. charge — a price
  16. rest — what's left
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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