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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — the season
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — to come down
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. toast — bread
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — ground
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stand — for spectators

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