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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — ground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — the tool

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