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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. cap — of ice
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. track — to keep track
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — ground
  17. rock — music
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. content — the amount
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — a stone

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