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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. present — there
  6. root — of a word
  7. mark — a trace
  8. root — the cause
  9. cold — an illness
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rest — a break
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — a path
  19. present — the time now
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — to pay attention

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