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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — army training
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. dip — to sink
  7. land — to come down
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. land — ground
  16. drill — the tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce

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