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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 water is too ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rule — a law
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — low music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. present — there
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. present — a gift
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — an illness
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rule — government
  16. land — to come down
  17. present — the time now
  18. land — ground
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — a hat

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