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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a great time
  5. current — electric
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — to drop
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — ground
  20. wax — to grow
  21. land — to come down
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cue — for pool
  24. current — happening now

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