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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. suit — to fit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — to come down
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a dance
  14. land — ground
  15. bore — to tire
  16. club — a group
  17. clip — a video
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — to drill

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