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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — in a road
  3. dip — to sink
  4. land — ground
  5. fine — high quality
  6. march — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. track — a song
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — a sauce

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