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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — of the year
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — to come down
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. land — ground
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — the animal

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