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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — the underground
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mark — a trace
  7. present — there
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. present — a gift
  11. land — to come down
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. band — a ring
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. present — the time now
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. band — a music group
  22. tube — a container
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. arm — part of the body

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