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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. season — of the year
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. hand — help
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — not warm
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mug — a face

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