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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. game — wild animals
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. land — a country
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. toast — bread
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — to come down
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — music
  22. game — a match
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cell — in a prison

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