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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. band — a music group
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. degree — from a university
  6. land — ground
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — temperature
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. band — a ring
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. land — to come down
  19. scale — in music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — an amount
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fall — the season

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