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

Word bank: present · bass · wake · club · land · kick · bowl · cell

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — there
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. land — ground
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bass — low music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bass — the fish
  14. club — for golf
  15. present — the time now
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kick — in football
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. present — a gift
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. club — a group

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