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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — an illness
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — a path
  5. land — ground
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. land — to come down
  21. vault — a safe
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. deal — to handle

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