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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. roll — a list
  14. land — to come down
  15. craft — boats
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. roll — a cake
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. straw — dry grass

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