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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. land — ground
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. bear — to put up with

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