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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — ground

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