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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cell — in biology
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — ground
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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