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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. race — humankind
  7. current — electric
  8. lean — to bend
  9. land — to come down
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. current — of water
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. land — ground
  18. branch — a division
  19. race — a contest
  20. current — happening now
  21. pitch — completely
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — to rest against

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