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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kid — child
  3. last — finally
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. can — a tin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — for digging
  11. last — to go on
  12. land — to come down
  13. snap — to click
  14. can — to be able to
  15. land — ground
  16. last — final
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mine — an explosive

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