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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 124 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — a group
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. land — to come down
  8. pit — a hole
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for golf
  16. wind — moving air
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a document
  20. land — ground
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. calf — of the leg

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