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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bound — obliged
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. firm — decided
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. firm — steady
  20. land — ground
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. squash — to crush
  24. firm — a company

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