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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — in music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cell — in biology
  19. root — of a word
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — a phone

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