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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bass — low music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rock — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cap — a lid
  23. land — ground
  24. cap — a hat

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