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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — decided
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. firm — a company
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a document
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. land — ground
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. firm — steady
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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