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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. craft — boats
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — music
  7. net — for catching
  8. land — ground
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. tear — to rip
  12. suit — in cards
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — the month
  17. root — of a word
  18. craft — a skill
  19. march — the month
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. land — to come down
  23. suit — to fit
  24. ground — a position

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