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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. land — a country
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. land — to come down
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — a line
  10. capital — money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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