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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. file — a document
  6. land — ground
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — the earth
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. file — a line of people
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. key — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. land — to come down
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. ground — a position

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