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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — army training
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. track — a path
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. track — a song
  20. degree — temperature
  21. drill — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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