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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. land — ground
  14. tube — a container
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mark — a grade
  17. spell — letters
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — a short time

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