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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — in music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. band — a music group
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. band — a ring
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — size or range
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — to come down
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. land — ground
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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