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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — a committee
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to bend
  9. can — to be able to
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. capital — money
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — size or range
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — rain
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — to get on
  24. fine — all right

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