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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 120 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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. dip — to sink
  8. land — ground
  9. scale — in music
  10. foot — a measure
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — to come down
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. foot — the bottom

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