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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — a lid
  5. root — of a word
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cap — a hat
  11. root — the cause
  12. hand — help
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. land — ground
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cabinet — ministers

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