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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. march — the month
  7. land — ground
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — to come down
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — a tin
  24. fan — to cool the air

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