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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mug — a face
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tube — a container
  19. content — the amount
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — ground
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cold — not warm

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