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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — of ice
  3. scale — size or range
  4. land — to come down
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a dance
  13. scale — in music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — ground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cap — a hat

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