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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. race — a contest
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. rule — a law
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rule — government
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — in music
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. season — in sport
  20. race — the arms race
  21. key — the most important part
  22. season — of the year
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

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