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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — ground
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spell — magic
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — letters
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — clever
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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