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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: land · bear · sharp · shower · racket · roll · cell · mouse

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. land — a country
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. shower — rain
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — to wash
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  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