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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. land — ground
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — for catching
  17. club — a group
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — after costs
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. club — for golf
  24. staff — employees

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