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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mug — a cup
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mug — a face
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — final
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. last — to go on
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a document
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — ground
  18. mug — to rob
  19. craft — a skill
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. craft — boats
  24. bowl — a football final

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