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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. drill — the tool
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — a practice
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — army training
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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