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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — to shout
  22. land — to come down
  23. key — in music
  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