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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. can — to be able to
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. land — ground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — a tin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. capital — money

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