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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. land — a country
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — to keep track
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. land — ground
  18. ground — crushed

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