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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — to come down
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pit — a hole
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. land — ground
  22. pop — soda
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — to visit

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