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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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. net — after costs
  4. root — the cause
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. net — in sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. root — of a plant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. land — ground
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — in music
  18. root — of a word

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