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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. march — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — a break
  14. track — a path
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. track — a song
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — ground

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