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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tube — a container
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. land — to come down
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. deal — to handle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. land — ground
  22. rock — music
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — the tool

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