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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. land — a country
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — ground
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — to come down
  9. object — an aim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. capital — money
  17. can — to be able to
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. object — to protest
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — the season
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — a tin

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