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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — crushed
  16. land — ground
  17. cell — in biology
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ground — the earth
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fork — to eat with

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