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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — army training
  3. field — farmland
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — for sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. field — a subject
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. land — to come down

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