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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. suit — to fit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cold — not warm
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. suit — in cards
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. can — to be able to
  23. land — ground
  24. cold — an illness

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