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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. firm — decided
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rule — government
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cold — an illness
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — a song
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — ground
  21. snap — to click
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. firm — steady
  24. track — a path

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