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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. land — ground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — to come down
  11. fine — high quality
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fine — all right
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — letters
  16. lie — to recline
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — magic
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. scale — in music
  21. tube — a container
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — a short time
  24. scale — for weighing

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