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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — ground
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — in cards
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — for sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — to be able to

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