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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — farmland
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. present — the time now
  14. rash — a series
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a hat
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — there
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. land — to come down

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