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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — music
  3. tube — a container
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — clever
  12. land — ground
  13. march — the month
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — exactly

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