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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cell — in biology
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — decided
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — a price
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cell — a phone
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lean — thin
  20. march — music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lean — to bend
  23. charge — in control
  24. bound — certain

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