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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — a country
  7. current — of water
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — electric
  11. can — to be able to
  12. key — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. squash — the sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. can — a tin
  24. row — a quarrel

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