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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. land — to come down
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — a permit
  6. track — a song
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. land — ground
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bass — low music
  24. track — a path

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