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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a committee
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — of water
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a grade
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mark — a trace
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — of ice
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — the season

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