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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. content — the amount
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — happy
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — of the year
  14. tube — a container
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — final
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — in sport
  22. current — electric
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to click

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