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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 124 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — to drill
  7. foot — a measure
  8. land — to come down
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — ground
  22. board — a committee
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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