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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. club — a group
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pit — in a race
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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