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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — ground
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fine — all right
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — the cause
  23. season — of the year
  24. capital — a big letter

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