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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. land — ground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — to come down
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kick — in football
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rule — a law
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. net — in sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rule — government
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kick — a thrill

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