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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. current — electric
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — in music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. land — ground
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mouse — the animal

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