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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. object — a thing
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — a line
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — help
  19. land — to come down
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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