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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. land — to come down
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — music
  17. fall — the season
  18. tube — a container
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — ground
  24. cap — a hat

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