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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · foot · wake · pitcher · ball · land · hide · mine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pop — to visit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pop — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. foot — the bottom

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