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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. kid — child
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — to tease
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. track — a song
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. cap — of ice

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