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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. row — a line
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. land — to come down
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. row — to paddle
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — ground
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lash — an eyelash

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