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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fall — the season
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — final
  11. land — ground
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cold — not warm
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cold — an illness
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — to come down

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