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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — a country
  4. capital — a city
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rule — a law
  7. land — to come down
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rule — government
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — ground
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — to shout
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mug — to rob

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