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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. shower — rain
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — a path
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — to come down
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. track — a song
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — music

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