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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. game — a match
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — ground
  9. key — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — a short time
  15. content — the amount
  16. key — the most important part
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — happy
  24. capital — a city

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