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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — the amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — ground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. race — humankind
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — happy
  24. land — to come down

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