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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — a measure
  3. net — for catching
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pass — a permit
  7. land — ground
  8. rest — a break
  9. net — in sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — after costs
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. land — to come down
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bulb — of a plant

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