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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  3. race — humankind
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. firm — decided
  6. race — a contest
  7. firm — a company
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — a break
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. firm — steady
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. scale — in music
  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