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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. key — in music
  10. land — to come down
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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