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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — a subject
  6. plane — a tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. object — a thing
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. field — farmland
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — to protest
  23. cap — a hat
  24. saw — the tool

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