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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fall — the season
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. drill — army training
  9. mark — a grade
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — a trace
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. drill — the tool
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — a contest

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