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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — to come down
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. object — to protest
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rock — a stone

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