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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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. rest — a break
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fine — all right
  9. bass — low music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — ground
  22. capital — a city
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rest — what's left

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