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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — for sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pop — soda
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. field — farmland
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pop — music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — music
  19. land — ground
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. board — to get on
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. march — the month

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