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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. key — in music
  3. land — to come down
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. key — the most important part
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. swing — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cap — a hat
  14. land — ground
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cap — of ice
  21. dip — to sink
  22. field — a subject
  23. key — for a lock
  24. swing — to play on

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