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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — to come down
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fall — the season
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — crushed
  19. land — ground
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — for golf

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