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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pit — in a race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. land — ground
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — to come down
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — low music
  14. mark — a trace
  15. season — of the year
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mark — a grade
  20. season — in sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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