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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — in music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rush — hurry
  22. board — a committee
  23. march — music
  24. prune — to trim

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