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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. dip — to sink
  12. land — ground
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — to come down
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ruler — for measuring

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