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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. track — a song
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bass — low music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. land — to come down
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. can — a tin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. track — a path
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — a video
  24. land — ground

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