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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. drill — army training
  5. staff — a stick
  6. file — a document
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kid — child
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — to come down
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. land — ground

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